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Women lose rights in USA - 29th June 2022

There's a big change for women in the USA. 9 judges at the Supreme Court made the change. They cancelled the 1973 'Roe vs Wade' decision on abortion.

From 1973, all women in the USA had the right to end a pregnancy. Now, 6 of the judges voted against this.

Each US state can now make its own rules. Many states stopped all abortions immediately.

Brandy Michaud thinks this is wrong.

Brandy Michaud: "It's insane. We pretty much went back 100 years with this 'Roe vs Wade' overruled. It's insane that we have to continue fighting for this."

Some states promised to help women. This includes New York state. Its governor is Kathy Hochul.

Kathy Hochul: "The rights are secure here in the State of New York. We took action already. We allocated $35 million to support our abortion providers to be able to help our sisters across this nation find their way here. This is their safe harbour."

Vice President Kamala Harris is worried. She's worried about women's health. She sees other problems too. People's rights are in danger.

Kamala Harris: "This is the first time in the history of our nation that a constitutional right has been taken from the people of America. And what is that right some might ask. It's the right to privacy. Think about it as the right for each person to make intimate decisions about heart and home."

Abortion's a difficult topic in the US. Some people get angry about it. But most Americans agree with abortion. For 85 percent of Americans, it's sometimes or always OK.

Now, they're worried about the Supreme Court. It could take away other rights. Andy Reisman sees problems in future.

Andrew Reisman: "Because women's rights are human rights. And this decision is the first in a long line of decisions that's going to strip every single right from every single one of us."